Corporate Migration to Windows 8: A Long, Slow Slog

Microsoft's Windows 8 appears to be a solid successor to Windows 7 in terms of performance, reliability, scalability and security. Additionally, Microsoft appears to be fulfilling its pledge not to repeat the egregious mistakes it made with Vista. But the new Microsoft touchscreen will be a jarring change for many corporate end users. Overall, it appears Microsoft badly miscalculated this issue.

To say that Microsoft has a lot riding on its imminent Windows 8 launch is to have a magnificent
grasp of the obvious. By now, most of us have heard the reports that Microsoft will spend a whopping US$1.5 to $1.8
billion in an all-out Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT Surface tablet marketing blitz. Microsoft
declined to confirm the figure, saying it never comments on such matters. Just this week, however, the
company did release two pertinent numbers: $39.99 and $499; that is the introductory list price
of Windows 8 and the retail price of the Windows 8 Surface Tablet, respectively.

Both are designed to spur sales of the new Windows 8 OS and to emphasize that Microsoft
intends to be price-competitive with rivals Apple and Google, which are already established in
the tablet space. The $39.99 introductory price for a download copy of Windows 8 will be good
through Jan. 31, 2013. That is the least expensive Windows OS tag in Microsoft's history.
Likewise, the $499 retail cost of the Windows 8 RT Surface Tablet puts in right in line with
Apple's iPad.

Will these moves be enough to create demand and convince users to buy the products?
To put it bluntly, the biggest issue with Windows 8 is not the much-maligned touch interface
(originally "Metro"); it's that a 60 percent majority of corporations say they have "no compelling
business need" to migrate to the latest Microsoft desktop OS or the Windows 8 RT Surface
Tablet set to debut later this week.

Those are the findings of the latest independent ITIC Windows 8 Deployment and Usage
Trends Survey, which polled over 500 organizations during September. The Web-based survey found that only 10 percent of respondents -- or one in10 companies -- had definitive plans to migrate to Windows 8 once it's released on October 26. That's in stark
contrast to the 64 percent of the respondents to ITIC's Windows 7 poll, who stated their intentions to
migrate to Windows 7 shortly after Microsoft released it in the fall of 2009.

Similarly, only 9 percent of those in the latest poll planned to purchase a Windows 8 Surface tablet,
compared to 49 percent who said they would not buy the forthcoming Windows 8 Surface Tablet.

Windows 7 is a big factor in these decisions. Organizations cited their satisfaction with existing
Windows 7 desktops or the fact that they were just commencing a Windows 7 upgrade as the
main reasons for not migrating to Windows 8. The failure of Windows 7's predecessor Vista, and
the decision by many organizations to remain on Windows XP, created a huge swell of pent-up
demand for Windows 7.

The reasons given for relatively slow momentum for Microsoft's new Windows 8 RT Surface
tablet vary somewhat from the perceived customer inertia involving the Windows 8 desktop
OS, but some points are common to both. When asked to check off all of the
reasons that would prevent them from buying either the traditional Windows 8 OS or the new
Windows 8 RT Surface tablet, survey participants cited "no compelling business need" as the
No. 1 reason.

Some 61 percent of respondents said there was no compelling business need, followed by 49 percent
who indicated their Windows 7 desktops were sufficient; 39 percent said they wanted to wait to ensure
compatibility with existing and legacy applications, and 22 percent -- or approximately one in five
respondents -- said they were unhappy with the Windows 8 Touch interface.

Out of Touch but Not Untouchable

Microsoft's touch interface has been a hot topic for the last year. Most of the commentary by
the press and analysts has been negative. However, a more detailed examination of the ITIC
Windows 8 survey suggests that corporations are not opposed to the touch interface per se.

Tellingly, 36 percent of survey participants had "no opinion" of the Metro touch interface; 25 percent said
they didn't like it; 15 percent said they would wait to use it and judge for themselves; 4 percent said
they hadn't used it but were concerned by the bad reviews; 7 percent said touchscreen GUIs
were the future for corporate desktops and users would have to adjust; another 7 percent said
they were unconcerned and that the issue had been overblown by the press; and the remaining 6
percent said they liked the Windows 8 touchscreen interface and were excited about using it.

Information gleaned from anecdotal user comments and first-person customer interviews reveals that most of the
opposition to the Windows 8 touchscreen interface stems from the fact that Microsoft does not
provide users with an easy mechanism to utilize the traditional Windows Start button interface.
Corporate IT managers argue that forcing businesses to adopt the touch interface is too jarring
for most of their end users.

The comment of an IT manager at a mid-sized healthcare facility typified the overarching
user sentiment. "Our concern with Windows 8 client desktop is its dramatic departure from
Windows 7/Vista/XP styling," he noted. "For the average client, [the Metro
GUI] represents a steep learning curve, and we expect negative reactions from clients on having
to 'learn' something new 'again.' Our clients are very satisfied with Windows 7 and won't see a
benefit to the major GUI change."

The VP of IT at a consulting firm that has used both the Windows 8 beta and the Windows
8 RT Surface tablet and plans to migrate in the next six-to-nine months had high praise for
the performance.

However, he agreed with other respondents that Microsoft messed up the timing and marketing
for Windows 8 and "over-emphasized" the touch interface.

"There should be an easy, simple
way and a choice to use the traditional Start button. Metro touch screen is the future, but most
corporate users are still very much mired in the present and will be for the next couple of years."

Companies Take a Wait-and-See Attitude

The mood is more cautious with respect to the Windows 8 RT Surface tablet. Overall, survey
respondents are taking a wait-and-see attitude. Just over one-third -- 34 percent -- said their Windows
7 desktops were fine; another 24 percent indicated they were already using the Apple iPad and were
satisfied with its performance; 18 percent said other device purchases would take priority, and 16 percent said they
were waiting to see how the Windows 8 Surface Tablet would be priced.

Not surprisingly, only 9
percent of survey participants said the touch interface factored into their decision not to purchase
the Windows 8 Surface tablet, since touch is standard for tablets and smartphones.

Among the other Windows 8 survey highlights:

Although 10 percent of participants affirmed their Windows 8 migration plans and 49 percent
of survey participants said they would not migrate to Windows 8, the remaining 41 percent
were undecided. One quarter -- 25 percent -- said they were "studying the issue," while 17 percent
were "unsure."

A 58 percent majority of corporate respondents had not yet tried the Windows 8 desktop OS
beta. Of the 42 percent that had tested it, a 32 percent majority gave the new client OS positive
ratings for performance, reliability and features. The remaining 10 percent of early beta users/adopters gave it a negative rating -- almost overwhelmingly due to difficulty with the touch interface. Those users complained that it made it difficult to use and access Windows-based applications.

On a more positive note, only 3 percent of corporate survey participants said they were
considering switching from Microsoft Windows to another desktop OS.

Although PC sales have been sluggish, an overwhelming 89 percent majority of survey
participants said their firms had no plans to abandon the PC platform entirely within the
next five years.

Analysis of the Results

Microsoft's Windows 8 appears to be a solid successor to Windows 7 in terms of performance,
reliability, scalability and security. Additionally, Microsoft appears to be fulfilling its pledge not
to repeat the egregious mistake it made with Vista, which sorely lacked backwards compatibility
and interoperability with many crucial third-party applications. Nonetheless, even some
Microsoft insiders privately acknowledge that the company would have been better served by
holding off on shipping the Windows 8 desktop since a significant portion of businesses have
just recently migrated to Windows 7.

Microsoft has largely been mum on the issue of what users perceive as unnecessarily forcing
them to use the touch interface. Touchscreens have long been a staple among smartphone and
tablet users, including Apple iPhone and iPad customers. But the new Microsoft touchscreen is
and will be a jarring change for many corporate end users -- particularly older ones. Overall, it appears
Microsoft badly miscalculated this issue.

The Windows 8 RT Surface tablet is another story. In the tablet and smartphone arenas,
corporations and consumers expect to use -- and in fact, embrace -- the touchscreen interface. In the
tablet arena, Microsoft faces two significant challenges to adoption: Their names are "iPad" and
"Android." Microsoft is late to the tablet market, where the Apple iPad has a commanding 68 percent
market share.

Microsoft Gets Aggressive

Microsoft has heard the catcalls from users on Windows pricing and it's also noted Apple's
expanding and encroaching enterprise presence. Hence, the decision to price the single user
retail upgrade from Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 to Windows 8 Professional
at a mere $39.99. This price is for a download only; customers who want a boxed version that
includes physical media from retailers like Office Depot and Staples will pay $69.99 for the
introductory offering. That is the least expensive price for a Windows upgrade in Microsoft's
history.

Until now, Microsoft Windows upgrades have typically retailed for $100 to $200.
Microsoft volume-license business customers who have Open and Enterprise agreements receive
everything from free upgrades to steep discounts off list, ranging from 18 percent to 40 percent on average.
Enterprises that purchase thousands of Windows licenses can get even higher discounts.

Microsoft will also ship a Windows 8 "Pro Pack" that will retail for $69.99, which includes no
physical media. This upgrade will enable users to migrate standard Windows 8 software
to the Professional edition and will also add Media Center capabilities, such as DVD playback,
that are not incorporated by default in Windows 8.

Bits and pieces of Microsoft's marketing campaign have begun to leak out. The initial ads
appear to indicate that Microsoft will concentrate on highlighting Windows 8 and Surface tablet
features and functions. However, it must do more than just enumerate the products features
and capabilities -- as powerful as they may be. Microsoft must also emphasize to current and
prospective customers the myriad technical and business differentiators between Windows 8, the
Surface tablet and rival devices.

Topping the list: the breadth and depth of Microsoft's technical service and support, along with
strong security. Yes, security. Throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium, Microsoft
products and reputation took a well-deserved beating for lax security. That changed when
Microsoft launched the Trustworthy Security Initiative in January 2002. Since then, Microsoft
has initiated a policy of "secure by design, secure by default and secure in deployment," which
has yielded tangible results.

Microsoft software, including Windows desktops, Windows Server,
SQL Server and other applications, is among the most secure in the industry. Additionally,
Microsoft is quick to respond with security patches, fixes and documentation when issues do
arise. This attention to inherent security and fast remediation is something that Google and Apple
are attempting to emulate.

Conclusions and Recommendations

It is highly unlikely that Windows 8 will see widespread mainstream corporate adoption within
the first year of its release. Microsoft should re-engineer Windows 8 within the first Service Pack
to enable corporations and consumers to easily revert to the traditional Start button and bypass
the touch interface. This would mitigate much of the negativity and help to assuage the corporate
concerns regarding the new OS.

Microsoft should also ensure that its Windows 8 documentation
and technical service and support are topnotch and feature backwards compatibility with its own
products as well as the major third-party ISVs. Highlighting its partnerships with leading OEM
hardware vendors like Asus, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony could also help it spark
sales. Microsoft can't afford another debacle like Vista.

Microsoft is playing catch-up in the tablet arena. It must aggressively market the Windows
8 RT Surface Tablet to consumers and create buzz. It is also imperative that Microsoft
undercut Apple and Android-based rivals on pricing in order to gain a foothold in this intensely
competitive market.